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For more than two centuries, the Census Bureau has plotted America's population center, mapping a steady progression of westward and southward growth. With a boom in Texas and busts on the coasts sending the center South, what does the new center say about the nation's future?

Divorce is a common affair in America today, but it hits some groups harder than others. Yes, race can be a factor -- but far more telling is financial status, among other things. For answers, 24/7 Wall Street digs into the Census Bureau%u2019s May report, Number, Timing, and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 2009.

U.S. housing starts unexpectedly plunged 11.7% in October to a 519,000-unit annual rate, weighed down by a 47.5% decline in apartment and condo construction. But building permits, a leading indicator of future housing construction, did inch 0.5% higher last month.
U.S. housing starts unexpectedly plunged 11.7% in October to a 519,000-unit annual rate, weighed down by a 47.5% decline in apartment and condo construction. But building permits, a leading indicator of future housing construction, did inch 0.5% higher last month.

If stocks are rising, many Wall Street gurus take it as evidence that the economy is improving. Yet even though the S&P 500 has soared 80% from its March 2009 lows, 70% of Americans don't believe the recession is over. Is Main Street's grasp on reality firmer than Wall Street's? Let's look at the data:

Young single women are earning more than their male peers in metropolitan areas around the U.S., according to an analysis of Census Bureau data released Wednesday. Some hope that the trend could eventually eliminate the male-female pay gap.

The U.S. Census Bureau will return $1.6 billion of its $7 billion budget for the year after costs came in lower than expected.
Savings stemmed from factors including 72% of households returning mailed questionnaires and an emergency fund that was never needed, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said, according to CNN.

The U.S. Census Bureau is pushing residents to mail Census 2010 forms back ahead of the April 1 deadline. States could stand to lose an average of $1,400 for each person not counted and taxpayers could lose $1.5 billion in costs associated with tracking down those who fail to send in the forms by mail.